Healthy habits and skills can be adopted, practiced, and maintained throughout a person’s life. Teaching healthy habits and skills to our children will empower them to lead healthy lives. We can always learn new things or brush up on our understanding of health. Health includes physical, mental, and emotional health.
Below, you will find a variety of links to health education resources. This includes mental health resources and COVID-specific resources. These outside sources can provide you with more information on specific topics.
General Health Literacy Resources
Georgia Insights – Georgia Department of Education
- Educating the whole child means acknowledging and addressing non-academic factors that impact academic outcomes while expanding learning opportunities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Health Literacy Resources
CDC Health Literacy Resources for Schools
- The resources on this page can help care providers and educators recognize and respond to children’s (and family members’) health information and communication needs. The resources may also help other individuals and organizations identify common interests and opportunities to work with care providers and educators.
- This guide can be used to locate Web resources related to health literacy and health communications
Healthy Children.org – Powered by pediatricians. Trusted by Parents
- The official American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website for parents, is the only parenting website backed by 67,000 pediatricians and includes over 5,000 articles on children’s health and safety topics—including entire sections with articles on topics related to tobacco, teen substance use, and media. Articles are available in English and Spanish with an easy toggle between both languages.
Living well with Parkinson’s | MeOverPD
- Me Over PD (MOPD) Foundation’s mission is to educate, engage and empower Parkinson’s sufferers and their care partners – at ground level – on actions necessary to live well with their Parkinson’s.
Georgia Chapter Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org)
- The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
Mental/Social/Emotional Resources
- Working across sectors, Resilient Georgia’s partners create a common language and understanding about Adversity and Resilience through:
- Awareness Building
- Promotion of best practices
- Workforce development
- Advocacy
- The SEE-KS website provides resources from the SEE-KS framework including ways to enhance how to 1) disseminate the most current social neuroscience related to the social and emotional development in children, 2) empower multidisciplinary teams to support students by using the most effective instructional strategies, and 3) foster student engagement in classrooms lessons through meaningful activities, provision of multiple modes of instruction, and encouraging student expression, resulting in better outcomes for children and their families
- ZERO TO THREE plays a key role in ensuring that babies and toddlers get a strong start in life by supporting:
- parents with practical resources that help them connect more positively, deeply, and continuously with their babies
- professionals with knowledge and tools that help them support healthy early development
- policymakers in advancing comprehensive and coherent policies which support and strengthen families, caregivers, and infant-toddler professionals
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential
- As a premier convener and thought leader for adolescent health, GCAPP partners with communities to address health disparities and improve the overall health and well-being of young people in Georgia
- FOCUS AREAS:
- Comprehensive Sex Ed
- Youth Empowerment
- Parent Engagement
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention
- Physical Activity & Nutrition
Mental Health America of Georgia
- To aid individuals and communities during this time, MHA of GA has compiled a range of resources and information available throughout the state of Georgia for mental health & COVID-19
- Leader in Me (LiM) is an evidence-based, comprehensive-school improvement model—developed in partnership with educators—that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.
- Instead of focusing on academic measures alone, Leader in Me embodies a holistic approach to education, redefining how schools measure success. This approach empowers educators with effective practices and tools to:
- teach LEADERSHIP to every student
- create a CULTURE of student empowerment
- align systems to drive results in ACADEMICS
Postpartum Support International – Georgia
- PSI-GA is the Georgia state chapter of Postpartum Support International (PSI), the world’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to helping those suffering from perinatal mood disorders, the most common complication of childbirth.
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – Pickles and Ice Cream Support Group
- Several communities in Georgia lack access to high-quality support and treatment options for moms who are feeling overwhelmed, sad, anxious, distracted, isolated, or who are struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, and Postpartum Support International, Georgia Chapter believe that peer support is one of the best ways to fill this gap and to help encourage and support birth givers through their learning and recovery process. Group-based peer support can be a promising intervention for pregnant and postpartum birth givers as a means to both identify and manage emotional needs. The free, virtual peer support groups are to provide the understanding and compassionate support to pregnant and postpartum moms as they work through emotional and mental difficulties. Groups are NOT only for first-time mothers. They are for any Georgia mom who is currently pregnant or recently had a baby.
COVID-19 Specific Resources
COVID Vaccine | Georgia Department of Public Health
- Find vaccination sites near you through the Georgia Department of Public Health website.
- NPR’s Life Kit reached out to Sesame Street’s beloved monster, Grover, to speak directly to kids about COVID-19. Grover talks about wearing a mask, missing his friends and why it’s OK to be sad sometimes.
NPR with Sesame Street! – for parents
- This guide can help parents to gather wisdom they can use to navigate this current phase of the pandemic.
- UNICEF is working with health experts to promote facts over fear, bringing trustworthy guidance to parents, caregivers, and educators.
- This resource provides tips and guidance for families on everything from how to talk to children about COVID-19, how to wash your hands properly, and advice for teenagers on how to protect their mental health.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Talking with children about Coronavirus Disease 2019
- CDC has created recommendations to help adults have conversations with children about COVID-19 and ways they can avoid getting and spreading the disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Schools and Child Care Programs
- This resource provides checklists for teachers and parents on practicing and promoting healthy habits and planning and taking action if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in their community.
Disaster and Crisis Coping Resources Team, Institute for School-Based Family Counseling
- This resource develops and disseminates free disaster coping resources for educators, administrators, teachers, mental health professionals, parents, and other stakeholders in order to help children, families, and schools cope with major disasters and to conduct research into innovative School-Based Family Counseling approaches to disaster coping and intervention.
- The School Resource Hub, powered by Instruction Partners provides school and system leaders a starting point to support student care and continued learning during extended school closures and re-entry into buildings. You’ll find toolkits, templates, and ready-made instructional materials that can be adapted for your local context and put to use in your community immediately.
- Free downloadable book, available in 21 languages, written to support and reassure children around the world (Manuela Molina)
- This article for kids by a “superhero” explains the coronavirus business and how kids can use their “superpowers to help save the world”
Regional Educational Laboratory Program
- This is a series of evidence-based resources and guidance about teaching and learning in a remote environment, as well as other considerations brought by the pandemic.
- This link provides lists of COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
Crisis Response
Georgia Crisis and Access Line – 1-800-715-4225
- Crisis services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year to help you or someone you care for in a crisis.
- Provide telephonic crisis intervention services
- Dispatch mobile crisis teams
- Assist individuals in finding an open crisis or detox bed across the State
- Link individuals with urgent appointment services
Studies show that health can be improved through health literacy. That’s why Mercer University School of Medicine and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center have joined together to bring you Mercer Medical Minute. Designed for children and young adults, this series of videos feature medical students who introduce basic health tips and guidelines needed to lead a healthy and active life.